I'm sorry if some of you have viewed this before. I posted it in the nursing advice forum earlier today. I'm hoping if I repost it here, some LPN's might understand it a little better! Thanks!
Hi! I am an LPN in a nursing home system. For the last 3 of the 4 years I have been a resource pool nurse. That means I float to 3 different facilities and work on skilled nursing and assisted living units.
I have another job through out the school year months - August-June and do this very part time. However, I used to do it full time and was very "on top" of my game. This summer I asked my boss for some "reorientation" dates on a couple of the units. I wanted to make sure I was up to date with new paperwork requirements and daily routines on some of the units. Due to staffing needs, I haven't been able to receive them and have been scheduled to work.
Yesterday I had what I thought was a good day at work until the unit manager came up and said she needed to see me. I knew then that I was in trouble for screwing up my break time. This facility/unit is known for having multiple disciplinary action and termination of employees, so you have to be extra careful when you work there.
I was working alongside with 2 nurses. One of which I had never met before and was obviously stressed the minute I walked in the door. She took know interest in introducing herself or making conversation with me. She was upset and stressed about her upcoming day basically. She was to receive 2 admissions (another nurse came in special to do them) and was obviously unhappy working there. I overheard make several comments such as "I can't wait until I don't have to work here anymore, this place is terrible etc.." I also overheard her reporting other nurses to the managers through out the day on things that hadn't been done properly - or to her standards. I knew I needed to be careful with her.
I had spent the day administering medications and helping CENA's when I had the moment. However, during meal time, I had some residents that required extra attention (crawling out of bed....pain...etc). I probably didn't help out in the dining room as much as they would've liked me to. Either way, I ended up in there at the end and helped clean up. After breakfast, one of the "stressed out nurses" patients had a vasal vagal response. I then spent almost a half hour toileting and laying her resident down. I was afraid to even tell this nurse because she was so on edge and unapproachable.
After that, I took 5 minutes to eat a snack and return to my duties. Prior to lunch, one of my CENA's was having difficulty getting her resident up. I went ahead and did that for her. That put me behind on administering 11-12pm meds. I had to take time to do them because it included insulin administration and Lactaid. (state was there too!) Of course it decreased the amount of time I was available in the dining room.
Shortly after this, the stressed out nurse informed me of my breaktime. Somehow, I misinterpeted it into being 12pm.
I didn't even leave the floor until 12:10 pm. As I was warming up my food, no one from the other floors were coming down and I started wondering if I left too early. I pretty much ate a few bites and returned at 12:25. I referred to the break sheet and realized that I wasn't supposed to leave until 12:30. Those break times are written in by the nurses themselves. I felt terrible! I immediately apologized to the nurse I could get along with and she said, "Oh it's fine, I'm going to go now."
At the end of the day, I was written up for "Neglect of residents and not fulfilling job requirements." They said I didn't help enough of the dining room and that I should have been more aware of the break schedule. I refused to sign it and informed the managers of the nurse and the conditions I had been dealing with all day from her. I was over apologetic again about screwing up my break time and took complete blame for that. Now, I'm wondering if this nurse told me the wrong time because I remember now that she did not tell me 12:30. I also found out that the normal staff nurse there takes her break at 12:15-1pm. The managers wondered why I hadn't told them about the "stressed out" nurse earlier in the day. I felt that I only had to work with her one day, 8 hrs of my life, and then I could go home. Compared on the global problems going on, this was completely minor. Not everyone is going to like me when I work (although most do) and I'm okay that.
I'm sorry this is lengthy, but I am feeling completely helpless and not sure where I am going to get a support system from. The managers kind of indicated to me that it's not a big deal since it was technically a "verbal". I don't want to be under the microscope every time I work there and then receive my 1st, 2nd and then termination.
I'm hoping I can fight this under the premises that I didn't receive the "reorientation" that I wanted. Is anyone aware of any rights regarding "unfair discipline" in the work place? I can't seem to find anything. It doesn't help there's no union either.
I too had the notion that I was becoming a nurse so I could make a big difference in someone's life...i.e. prolong life for them. I absolutely love working in a nursing home and cannot imagine working in any other field. But the management is horrible. They only know what they read in books and expect the work to be done exactly as it says so in the book. NOTHING IS SET IN CONCRETE and you have to adapt with all the different situations that are presented to you.
Nursing is also a dog-eat-dog world. I have never seen the likes of unhappy nurses who make it their mission to make their fellow coworkers as miserable as what they are and whatever they have to do to accomplish that, they will.
The way I look at it every night I work....I'm going to work in these resident's home, that's right, THEIR home and I'm going to do my best to take care and make sure their needs/wants are met and to he!! with everyone else!
Although I don't think ou did anything wrong I have suggestions.
If you think they might be missing you in the dining room call on the phone and tell them you are doing xyz for so-and-so, and will be right there once it's done. They'll have trouble accusing you of slacking off then. Phone them until they are sick of hearing from you and someone says "we know that if you aren't here you're helping someone SOMEWHERE ELSE" That's what they should assume anyway unless you are a known slacker, and it doesn't sound like you are.
The lunch break- you didn't get a lunch break that day because the other nurse took off before you got your time, even if you WERE scheduled for 12:00. So stop feeling guilty about that. There was a miscommunication, it's no one's fault, but you certainly got the brunt of it, plus no lunch. What a rotten day.
Let them write you up, they know, or should know, that you are a good worker. It will be their loss and poor judgement if this goes any further. I would plan on ignoring the whole mess. Also you used very good judgement in not relating all the problems with the stressed nurse, which they would have written her up for and there would have been a personal issue between the two of you. Try to let it go.
I doubt this write-up was a verbal warning, because they asked you to sign a piece of paper. If they requested that you sign a piece of paper, then this is something that will remain in your employment file as a record of disciplinary action.
I personally think that nurses who constantly backstab and report other nurses are disgusting human beings. However, the poor management at nursing homes allows these types of nurses to get away with this behavior while running off good employees. It is your choice to stay or leave for greener pastures, but I would feel uncomfortable having to float at a facility where this nurse will watch me like a hawk. I do not care if someone took a break that was 5 minutes longer than anticipated, but I wouldn't report them to management. If it annoyed me that terribly, I would gently speak to the person one-on-one.
Yep this happens a lot, nurses who are nasty to each other. Management does tend to put up with them and let the good ones quit. You gotta get more of a tough skin. Don't take crap from anyone or they will target you a person they can back-stab.:uhoh21: and I don't know why people need to treat a coworker that way.
Thank you everyone for your support and responses! Today was my first day back since that terrible day after a much needed vacation!
Today wasn't much better! I've decided my corporation has completely let themselves go. They've increased their acuity of residents they are accepting and forgot to increase the staff! I spent yesterday applying for other jobs to fulfill my downtime when I'm not working for the school district. I'm hoping something comes along sooner than later!
star2nite2000
31 Posts
I too had the notion that I was becoming a nurse so I could make a big difference in someone's life...i.e. prolong life for them. I absolutely love working in a nursing home and cannot imagine working in any other field. But the management is horrible. They only know what they read in books and expect the work to be done exactly as it says so in the book. NOTHING IS SET IN CONCRETE and you have to adapt with all the different situations that are presented to you.
Nursing is also a dog-eat-dog world. I have never seen the likes of unhappy nurses who make it their mission to make their fellow coworkers as miserable as what they are and whatever they have to do to accomplish that, they will.
The way I look at it every night I work....I'm going to work in these resident's home, that's right, THEIR home and I'm going to do my best to take care and make sure their needs/wants are met and to he!! with everyone else!